Give Environment Its Own Court

Climate change is believed to be one of the greatest threats facing humanity. In an attempt to address this threat, the international community came together in Paris last December to reach the 'Paris Agreement'. Negotiators from 195 countries made a series of commitments to cut their carbon emissions. However, there are no sanctions for a state's failure to adhere to its commitments. There is no specific forum for the settlement of disputes arising from the Paris Agreement. Also, vulnerable individuals who are already affected by climate change events have no effective means of seeking redress. Hence the idea of setting up an International Court for the Environment (ICE) has recently garnered attention.